The Dishonored Raven, the Fox that Never Was, & the Man that Wept

By Pyro Yuki

~Author's Note~ (Please review!)

Sorry this has been a loooooooooooooooooong time coming! I got swamped with homework and walking the road of life.

Kakashi: *looks up from book* …What?

Me: Ops! But seriously! I haven't found ANY time to write ANYTHING for like months! Thank you for your followings! I somehow reached 5,618-some viewers!

Upon reading my past chapters, I've come to realize just how TERRIBLE my grammar is! DX SOOOO many words I've misplaced!

*Pokes stick at a dark corner of the room* This is why I need an editor.

Again, I'm REALLY sorry at how long this took…T-T Blame college. It's the root of all this tardiness.

Please Enjoy~

Tends to mean a tiny time skip or some other scene

Italics are thoughts. "." Are words.

Disclaimer: All original characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I don't own Naruto.


Chapter 10: The Two Sanin

"…Is he ever going to wake up?" An irritated voice came from somewhere in the distance, but strong enough to be heard.

"…He has been out for a long time…" A gentler voice replied back.

"Remember you two, Naruto was the last of us to be hit with Lord Jiraiya's jutsu. He'll probably come around soon." A calmer voice that Naruto's mind registered as Kakashi-sensei's voice answered back.

Naruto tried to open his eyes but that was very difficult for some reason. He finally forced them open a little bit when he felt something damp press against his forehead.

"Mom?" Naruto rasped, surprising them all.

"You're awake," Kushina smiled happily at her son. For some reason, Naruto had an overwhelming feeling of joy fly into his chest. It took him by surprise when a tear fell out of the corner of his eye as he sat up. He quickly rubbed it away before anyone but Kushina could notice.

"Naruto? You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. What happened?" Naruto asked, now just rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Everyone was safe and sound around Naruto in a small one-room wooden house. Anko was sitting, or laying, leisurely over a chair; Guy was in the kitchen area with Neji loyally at his side, helping him prepare a meal; Kakashi was sitting on a couch, reading a small green book, with Sasuke and Sakura sitting on his two sides, staring at Naruto; Kushina was at Naruto's bedside with a bucket of cool water and washcloths for him.

"What happened is that Lord Jiraiya helped us escaped from Obito and his followers," Kakashi-sensei answered while turning a page in his book, "but his jutsu wasn't fully completed and knocked us out after we got to this safe house."

"Safe house?" Naruto blinked.

"It's a house that Lord Jiraiya kept in case of emergencies or to rest up before moving on. Apparently, he has quite a few scattered around the Fire Nation." Sakura answered Naruto.

"Just the Fire Nation?" Naruto had hoped that there might be more across the borders, but he couldn't test his luck all the time. Sakura shrugged.

"I guess we're not going to the third Checkpoint, huh?" Sasuke asked.

"You got it kid." A voice Naruto was all too familiar with answered before the door swung open and the Toad sage stepped through. "But now we're going somewhere better after we eat."

"Where's our next destination, Lord Jiraiya?" Guy asked, placing plates down on the only table in the house with Neji's help.

"We're going a town to ask the advance of a dear old friend." The white haired man sat down. Anko looked like she was about to have a heart attack.

"Y-you don't mean we're going to have to find HER do you?!" She yelled.

"Yup! We're going to Tsunade to get her to help us out. Two Sanins are better than one."

"Well…I guess I'll put up with HER if it means I don't have to see HIM." Anko huffed.

"Do you have an idea where she is now?" Kushina asked.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! I think we are forgetting something important here!" Guy burst out, wearing an apron and holding plates of food. His whole appearance just screamed weird.

"How was Lord Jiraiya even able to use that level of jutsu under his condition?! Just a simple substitution or clone jutsu makes us exhausted! I mean, no offense Lord Jiraiya, but even your skills shouldn't go as far as a travel distance jutsu." He nodded respectfully to his senior while putting the food down on the table. Everyone quickly tucked in, including Naruto.

"He does have a point. And weren't you about to say something, Kakashi?" Anko asked through her first bite. Every eye was on Kakashi or Jiraiya.

"Let me explain: Remember back when we were all in the room with the chakra sphere? A little after Naruto let go of the orb, it short-circuited for some strange reason and let out a shock wave out at everyone in the room."

"Yeah? So?" Anko growled.

"So, I think that shock wave somehow activated our chakra networks again. Ever since that moment, I can feel my body's chakra levels slowly returning to maybe a half or more of what it had been. It may not ever return to what it used to be, but it's more chakra than I've had in 12 years. Doesn't anyone else feel it too?"

Anko and Guy looked at each other in shock, but Kushina shook her head. She had arrived moments after that after all.

"I have another theory about that chakra sphere. If someone touches it, they get strange other world memories along with their full restoration of chakra while if one gets hit with that shock wave, they get only a portion of their chakra back."

"Kakashi sent a ninja hound to me to tell me this theory." Jiraiya pitched in.

"Yes! And since chakra can be given through physical contact, Lord Jiraiya could use a more complex jutsu after Kakashi put his hand on his shoulder!" Kushina realized, having been told something like that from Minato before.

"So that means that Kakashi-sensei, Guy, Anko, Sakura-chan, Sasuke, Neji, and myself were hit by that shock wave," Naruto turned to Neji. "Do you feel any more chakra than you normally do, because I don't." Naruto asked.

Neji and Sasuke shook their heads but Sakura hadn't touched her meal. "Sakura?" Neji asked.

"It's just…I do feel different. Yesterday…and even today, I feel really strange…stronger and more confident in helping you all. But I've never had these memories. And-"

"It's new to you," Sasuke nodded, understanding. Sakura blushed and nodded. "It's new to all of us."

Naruto wondered if that was really true. After all, Sakura was the only one of their age that hadn't received any of the dreams-memories from the looks of things and neither has any of the jonin.

There was an awkward silence in the room, and then Anko broke it. "It doesn't change the fact that we now have a platoon of ninjas with their chakra returned. But they shouldn't really be considered ninjas just yet. We need to start training as soon as possible." She looked at all the younger ninjas to be.

"Hold on. We can't train them properly AND travel to see Tsunade. I think finding Tsunade like we first planned comes first." Kakashi told them.

"Naruto, are you ready to travel? We have to run fast until we get to the town." Jiraiya looked at him.

Naruto jumped up from his chair. "Of course I'm ready! Let's go, Pervy-Sage!"

Everyone looked at Naruto. Jiraiya looked so surprised to be called that, his face went pale. "P-Pervy-Sage?!"

It wouldn't have been until nightfall that the group finally reached the town Jiraiya spoke of. They had passed a few smaller towns, but didn't even bother to stop. Each time they were out of the towns' sights, they would break out into a run to the next one. They didn't want to look too suspicious.

But by the time they had reached Tanzaku Town, everyone was exhausted. Including the Jonin. And according to them, they had made an arch back into the Fire County, even if they were still far from the Leaf Village.

Naruto collapsed forward on the ground. He felt like his feet and knees would have given out anyway, if they weren't bleeding. The muscles in his legs were trembling horribly. Sasuke, Sakura, and Neji were little better, but they were leaning on whatever they could to stay up.

"I can't go…any…farther." Naruto gasped. The adults looked just as tired, but they had more dignity. Somehow, Jiraiya seemed to be the only one with enough energy to keep going, but then, he HAD been traveling all this time.

"Let's find a place to stay until tomorrow. If my sources are correct, Tsunade is here."

"W-WHAT?! Hardly a week ago, I had to climb three mountains to reach her and NOW she's…in the FIRE COUNTRY?!" Anko shrieked in fury.

"Keep your voice down, Anko." Kushina looked around, worried they were heard, but no one paid them any mind. This WAS the town of adult's Red-light District, or so it was nicknamed.

"And I'm afraid there is no time for resting, you kids. We have to find Tsunade tonight or we may miss her." Jiraiya told them, much to their groaning. Naruto groaned the loudest, starting to get off the ground. HOW were they supposed to find Tsunade?!

I know we found her here before, but that was just luck! How are we supposed to…

Naruto was in the middle of that thought when he saw a familiar face he hadn't seen before in this life. A woman with short black hair that was longer in the front than the back. She was wearing a blueish-black kimono.

"H-Hey!" Naruto made a dashed for the lady. What was her name?! What was her name?!

"Hey, miss! Miss!" Naruto called to her, she looked at his direction but his legs gave way and he fell onto the ground face first. "Owww!" He groaned, trying to get back up.

"Are you okay, little boy? Your nose is bleeding. Here," A cloth was placed under his nose and he looked up to see the lady kneeling by him, staring at him with concern. He must had looked like a grubby street kid to her.

"Thanks…Miss, I need to ask you something." He sat up. The Jonin were heading over to him, looking a little baffled.

"Yes?"

"I'm…no, my friends and I were looking for Tsunade. Could you please take us to her? We've been looking for her and really need her help."

A guarded look flashed across the woman's face before it went away as he continued. She looked over at Kakashi and then Jiraiya. She straightened up."You're-"

"Oh, it's you Shizune! I almost didn't recognize you, it's been too long!" The Pervy-Sage smiled.

Sakura helped Naruto up and he kept the cloth pressed to his bleeding nose.

"You know her, Naruto?" Sakura asked him. "Sorta. She was always with Tsunade when we first went looking for her." Sakura looked confused. "The dream-memory." He answered and she nodded.

"Come with me, all of you. I'll take you to Lady Tsunade." Shinue looked them all over before heading in the direction the way she was going before. The group followed carefully behind her.

"I'm not going to ask why you need Lady Tsunade's help again. But I should warn you, Lady Tsunade isn't feeling at her best today. It will have to be short." She told them over her shoulder.

"We understand. This shouldn't take too long." Jiraiya answered. They weaved in and out around the street until Shizune stopped at a hotel room and pulled open the door.

"Lady Tsunade, I have brought you visitors." She called to the closed bedroom door up ahead. She closed the door after them.

Naruto noticed right away that there wasn't much in the place aside from basic furniture livings and kitchen. They all came to the door and Shizune knocked on it before slowly opening it.

"Hello Tsunade." Jiraiya greeting in a serious tone. The person on the large futon moved from under the covers and faced them all.

Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Neji all let out a startled gasp at the old blond woman that smiled stiffly back at the group.

"Well hello, Jiraiya. Fancy seeing you again."


Chapter End~

Yeah, I know this one wasn't very exciting or long, but they had to search for Tsunade anyway. And I just had to get this chapter going again.

They've found Shizune thanks to Naruto, but now that they come face to face with Tsunade, how will things go from there?

((Tsunade is a very old lady because she no longer has the chakra to keep herself looking young. Lol. And I always found it funny that the anime never showed her old face. It's as much of a mystery as Kakashi's real face. XD More on that in the next Chapter.))

Next Chapter: Divided We Stand